Saturday, February 13, 2016

Buy ’Em By the Sack

White Castle is an ideal food for grommeting because the burger patties already have holes.

White Castle has long touted the holes as a selling point, boasting that they allow the burgers to cook through without being flipped, among other benefits. The reality, though, is that the holes were introduced as a cost-cutting measure in 1951, as David Gerard Hogan explained in his definitive history of the company, Selling ’Em by the Sack (New York University Press, 1997):

As both labor and meat prices crept upward, the company scrambled to find a way to cut costs. In 1951, the home office leadership decided to take the unprecedented step of trimming the size of its hamburger patty from one to eight-tenths of an ounce, effectively getting two extra patties from each pound of ground beef. To achieve this reduction in size, White Castle made the patty thinner and bored its distinctive five holes into the meat.

Originally proposed on an anonymous employee suggestion sheet in 1947 by Houston operator Earl Howell, the five-hole concept was slow to catch the attention or interest of company officials. But when White Castle finally "downsized" its patty in 1951, it publicly touted the inclusion of the holes as a way to make the meat cook faster, in less than a minute, while also allowing more steam and juices into the bun on top. [Company founder] Billy Ingram praised this new innovation for its speed and efficiency. The publicized rationale was accurate, as the patty did cook faster, but the main purpose of the five holes was to use less meat — while still charging the same price as before.

Of course, adding grommets to the burgers boosts the price. But it's so, so worth it.

6 comments:

I am enjoying this art project very much. Not only is it unique, it is also a learning experience. I had more than my share of White Castles when I was at University in NY, and I always wondered about their design.

Interesting. The standard treatment (at least where I live) is for them to come pre-ketchuped. I asked for this batch with no ketchup, so the grommeting would be less messy, and then used a single-serve ketchup packet to add the ketchup on the bun, just for visual effect. Never seen White Castle come with mustard.

Intresting. In Cincinnati, the sliders have no condiment on them. You can get little packets of White Castle Brand Dusseldorf Mustard (basically brown spicy), which used to be served at Riverfront Stadium. I always dip mine in ketchup, which tends to get weird looks.

Any promoted rationale was initially complete, when the patty managed prepare dinner sooner, however important reasons like any your five gaps was initially to apply significantly less animal products. despite the fact that also charging you similar expense mainly because earlier than.

Gromm•It, an art/media project by journalist Paul Lukas, explores the juxtapositions resulting from the installation of metal grommets in unlikely surfaces, especially foodstuffs.

The project’s name was suggested by Mary Bakija, who has also had input on several of the photos and provided other invaluable support. All photos on the site can be clicked to enlarge. Additional background info is available on this FAQ page.

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